Radonitsa, 2016

Here is an album of photos of our celebration of Radonitsa on April 27/May 10, 2016. Radonitsa, “the Day of Rejoicing,” always falls on the Tuesday of the second week after Pascha. On this day, the dead are commemorated, and the joy of the recent Feast of Pascha, the Resurrection of Christ, is shared between the living and the reposed.
This year our brother monks from the nearby Monastery of St. John in Manton celebrated the feast with us. Hieromonk Innocent, the superior of the monastery, came with four other monks and six pilgrims from the monastery.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Abbot Damascene, with Hieromonks Innocent and Paisius concelebrating. Afterwards, everyone went in procession to the cemetery, where a Pannikhida (memorial service) was served by Frs. Damascene, Innocent, and Paisius. Since one of the first brothers of the Monastery of St. John, Novice Baruch, is buried in our cemetery, we all gathered in prayer at his grave. After the service, according to tradition, we ate Paschal foods in the cemetery, to share the victory of the Resurrection with those who have reposed in the Lord.
At the meal in the trapeza, Fr. Innocent shared inspiring words with the brothers, the sisters of St. Xenia Skete, and the pilgrims. The rest of the day was spent in spiritual fellowship, in the grace of this Day of Rejoicing.

Fr. Innocent reading the Prayer Behind the Ambo at the end of the Divine Liturgy.